Last week, the Wall Street Journal ran an article about the growing trend of declaring one’s gender pronouns at work. Indeed, the practice has become ubiquitous, with pronouns popping up in the least expected of places, from email signatures and social media bios to professional name tags and video conferencing calls.
Corporations have rolled out these initiatives as a way to show support for transgender colleagues and those who identify as nonbinary, but these policies are, in many ways, counterproductive.
Transgender people identify as the opposite of their biological sex (for example, someone who was born female and identifies as male). Nonbinary people identify as a third gender, either male and female or neither, and typically use pronouns such as “they/them,” a mix such as “she/they,” or nonsensical creations such as “xe/xem.”
For transgender people, who constitute 0.6% of the U.S. adult population, having to state their pronouns explicitly can be offensive because it implies their gender isn’t obvious and, to some extent, that their transition to the opposite sex wasn’t successful.
Although there has been a growing movement to include nonbinary people under the transgender “umbrella,” science shows that gender is binary, so it’s inappropriate to consider these two groups as one.
From what I’ve observed, this obsession with pronouns is being pushed by nonbinary people and so-called allies who enjoy the attention that comes with advertising their pronouns but are not themselves transgender and have no desire to transition.
At best, announcing one’s pronouns to the world may stem from a genuine desire to bring awareness to the cause. At worst, it is no different from other social justice fads, such as posting a black square during the George Floyd protests or using popular hashtags.
As a journalist, I frequently receive messages from readers who question the utility of these pronoun initiatives but fear disciplinary action from their employer if they vocalize their concerns.
If you are skeptical, resist the pressure to follow everyone else. By leaving your email signature free of pronouns, you’ll attract the attention and respect of those who are similarly minded.
An employer’s threats of reprisal in the name of diversity and inclusion bear little resemblance to requests made by everyday transgender people in the name of equality. If disclosing pronouns in the workplace is mandatory and you disagree to the extent that this is the hill you’ll die on, be prepared for an uphill battle that is entirely worthwhile and, most importantly, seek social support.
Dr. Debra Soh is a sex neuroscientist, the host of The Dr. Debra Soh Podcast, and the author of The End of Gender: Debunking the Myths About Sex and Identity in Our Society.
